Method of forming the tool engaging flats of a threaded nut device



Aug. 9, 1966 N. J. HUGHES 3,264,665

METHOD OF FORMING THE TOOL ENGAG FLATS OF A THREADED NUT IC Original Filed Sept. 1962 1 kg 2 /4 5 g 6 4 1 I 3 l5 8 6 5 9 Invenior.

Norman J Hughes United States Patent METHOD OF FORMING THE TOOL ENGAGING FLATS OF A THREADED NUT DEVICE Norman J. Hughes, Melrose, Mass., assignor to United- Carr Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Ser. No. 226,096, Sept. 25, 1962, now Patent No. 3,192,818, dated July 6, 1965.

This application Mar. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 443,922

1 Claim. (Cl. 1086) This invention is a continuation of copending application United States Serial No. 226,096, filed September 25, 1962, now Patent No. 3,192,818.

This invention is directed to a new nut device having a threaded barrel portion formed from sheet metal and having a shaved outer wall on the barrel portion providing a tool engaging surface whereby the nut device may be engaged and held by a tool when rotated onto a screw threaded shank member.

The invention also relates tothe method of forming the tool engaging surface,or surfaces upon the outer threaded barrel portion of the nut device.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a portion of an installation showing a use of the improved nut device;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the improved nut device;

FIG. 4 is an edge view of the nut device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic section showing a method of shaving the outer surface of a nut during manufacture by pillar-press type of tools;

FIG. 6 is a section of an improved nut device showing a method of shaving the outer surface of the nut barrel portion during the manufacture of the nut by tools other than pillar-press types of tools, as for instance, by eyelet machine tools; and

FIG. 7 is a section taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6 to show the shape of the shaving tool in cross section.

Heretofore sheet metal nuts having drawn barrels had been formed with tool engaging means providing for rotation of the nut or holding the nut during rotation of a cooperating screw as is shown in United States Patents Nos. 2,096,335, 2,632,355, and 2,672,659. The nut device of the present invention and the method of forming the tool engaging surfaces are believed to be patent able improvements over the devices shown in those patents. The resulting nut device is simple, inexpensive to manufacture and has commercial advantages over the prior art.

Referring now to the nut device illustrated by the drawings there is shown a one-piece device drawn from a strip of suitable sheet metal by a series of drawing operations (not shown )as will be understood by anyone skilled in the art.

The particular nut device illustrated has a base flange 1, a thin walled barrel portion 2 having an internal thread 3 and a plurality of relatively flat tooling engaging portions 4 on the outer surf-ace of the barrel portion 2 as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. Thus, the nut device shown has a hexagonal shaped outer wall 5 opposite the inner threaded circular wall 6. This arrangement provides for a compact nut device that may be readily used with 3,264,665 Patented August 9, 1966 ICC a standard socket wrench or any other suitable gripping tool.

A method of forming the improved nut device is shown more or less diagrammatically in FIG. 5. In this. instance the nut is shown as being formed from a strip (such as would be the case in a so-called pillar press machine) and a station is provided where a skiving tool 7 is located in the die part of the tools 7a. At this station (which is at the end of the die tools 7a) the punch part of the tools 7b pushes the nut, in the strip 70, into the skiving tool 7 thereby shaving portions 8 from the outer wall of the barrel portion 2. Thus the flat surfaces 4 are formed on the outer wall 5 by this simple method of providing the skiving operation as a part of the forming of the improved nut during its manufacture and before it is cut from the strip 70, as will be understood by anyone skilled in the art of forming this general type of nut in a set of progressive pillar press machine tools.

Another improved method of forming the nut device described above is to provide a suitable shaped shaving or skiving tool 7d (FIGS. 6 and 7) that may be built into other types of tools. Thus during the forming of the nut barrel portion 2, in the construction illustrated, the shaving operation is performed by forcing the tool 7d over the barrel portion 2 of the nut device, supported on the disc 7e (FIG. 6), thereby shaving portions 8 from the wall thereof before the nut is removed from the tools. These shaved portions 8 provide for the flat surfaces 4 on the outer wall 5 and they need not be removed but remain adjacent the base flange 1. To provide for removal of the shaved portions 8 would complicate the manufacturing tools and manufacturing operations as will be readily understood by anyone skilled in the art.

Since the shaved portions 8 do not interefere When the nut is used with a tool it is unnecessary to remove them. If a better appearing nut is desired the base flange 1 may be provided with an annular recess 9 (FIGS. 1 and 2) and the shaved portions 8 are pressed into this recess 9. This arrangement also protects a user of the nut from being cut or scratched by contact with sharp or rough edges of the shaved portions 8 which might occur if the recess 9 is not provided.

One use of the nut is shown in the installation disclosed by FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein a support 10 presents a bolt or screw member 11 passing into a hole 12 in a part 1 3 and a nut device is threaded onto the screw member 11 and fits into a recess 14, as best shown in FIG. 2. Other uses of the nut will be apparent by anyone needing a nut where a Wrench-type tool is used. With this improved nut a better grip will be provided with a tool than when a screwdriver slot is used or the edge of a relatively thin base flange is shaped to engage with a tool.

While an improved nut device and method of making the same have been illustrated and described it should be understood that the invention is best defined by the following claim.

I claim:

The method of forming tool-engaging surfaces on a drawn sheet metal nut having a laterally-extending base flange, a thin-walled barrel portion extending normal to the plane of said base flange, a plurality of tool-receiving surfaces on an outer surface of said barrel portion and a plurality of integral shaved portions adjacent said base flange; which comprises the step of shaving the 0111;613:8111? t ReferencesCitedtby theEiraminel' face of said barrel portionW-fih1 a shining tooldactilng in UNITEDj STATESzPATENTS a direction substantially para e to t e ongitu ina axis of said barrel portion to form said tool-engaging surfaces and said vshaved portions and simultaneously pressing 5 7 t 7/1940: Woo said shaved portions against said base flange, prior to 3:021:537 a 2/1962 Hugheslnn: the nut being removed from nut forming tools, thereby 3 192. 13 7 19 5 Hughes 5 leaving the shaved portionsfree of any interferences with the tool-engaging surfaces, ANDREW R; JUHASZ, Primary Examiner. 

